Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 264

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

264. The Prince Remembers

“Ugh.”

Serena barely suppressed her groan. It hurt less than the day after crawling on all fours through the narrow sewers on the 6th floor.

But it still hurt all the same.

She had expected the neck, shoulder, and back pain from suffering under the low ceiling of the tunnel. What she hadn’t expected was the pain surging from her lower body.

As a result of limping with legs that had suddenly changed length, all her lower body joints ached, especially her pelvis.

Her muscles were also cramping – her calves repeatedly cramped and then loosely relaxed, warning of intermittent muscle spasms to come.

“Ugh.”

Serena trembled as she squeezed her calf muscles that hurt even when still.

‘Pain! Can be forgotten with greater pain!’

It seemed pointless to make something painful even more painful, but in the labyrinth, even such acts were necessary for survival.

Seraph gritted his teeth and made a disgusted expression watching his sister massage her cramping calves and push with her magic staff like a pole.

“Ugh.”

When Serena switched her grip on the staff, Seraph quickly moved away.

The sibling with severe affection deficiency didn’t avoid violence since he considered even beatings as attention, but he disliked violence using tools since there was no physical contact.

‘I wasn’t planning to hit him anyway.’

Serena gripped her staff and stood up. Terrible pain surged from her pelvis and knees.

Serena found herself missing the genius alchemist’s muscle pain medicine.

‘I had a bottle in my bag!’

She regretted not bringing her bag, but only briefly. Abandoning the bag had been a wise choice.

Serena slowly bent and straightened her stiff joints, loosening her body as her sibling had suggested the day before.

The sibling who had been watching warily from outside attack range felt relieved and began dismantling the traps he had set the previous day.

Sister loosened her body, brother dismantled traps.

There was no conversation between them. The siblings were quite lacking in conversation, but the silence wasn’t awkward between them.

“Hmph.”

Seraph, having finished dismantling the traps, inspected his equipment. His posture alone could have been a masterpiece painting.

Serena suddenly spoke to the beautiful boy from the painting.

“Seraph. Have you ever entered Grandfather’s treasure vault?”

“Treasure vault? That’s your department. Didn’t you hear your followers singing about the princess who catalogued the treasure vault at age 8?”

“I mean the King’s Treasury, not the general warehouse. Since you’re second in line for succession, I wondered if Grandfather ever gave you a tour.”

Seraph shook his head roughly.

“No.”

“Then do you know about a treasure called the Crimson Key? Or a crimson jade?”

“I don’t know about the key, and if it’s a large red jade… I don’t know.”

Seraph narrowed his brow as if something came to mind, then shook his head again, seemingly uncertain of his memory. The prince’s head, which had been shaking roughly left and right, suddenly stopped.

“I remembered.”

“You saw the crimson jade?”

“Not that. Richard. That filthy traitor.”

The prince’s hands, which had been carefully inspecting his equipment, became rough. Seraph ground his molars as if they were whetstones.

“Grandfather once let that traitor into the King’s Treasury. I remember clearly because I got scolded for asking why I couldn’t go in.”

“Do you know when that was? It wasn’t before the Tragedy of Heuji, was it?”

“How would I know that? I only know Richard entered the King’s Treasury once. That hideous patricide!”

Seraph was irritated at accidentally mentioning Duke Oren’s name. Serena remained silent while her sibling calmed his annoyance.

“I told you I gave up on you.”

Seraph raised his eyebrows as the topic he had declared victory on came up again.

Serena deliberately didn’t look at her sibling, focusing on stretching while only moving her mouth.

“I gave up on putting you on the throne, not on wanting you to die.”

“Hmm.”

“Revenge is the same. I’m not against revenge. I’m trying to stop you because I’m worried about you.”

The prince, who had raised both eyebrows, said to the princess.

“Serena, you know what? You say it’s not the same, but to me it is. You gave up on me and you’re blocking my revenge too.”

Serena stretched her stiff shoulders using her staff.

“If you keep acting like this, you’ll die before you can get revenge. Don’t you understand that?”

“Don’t you want that patricide to die?”

“What?”

Serena was so absurd that she finally turned to look at her sibling.

Having said something absurd himself, Seraph stared at Serena with an expression that found her absurd.

“That’s right. You’ve only taken that patricide’s side. Since we met in the labyrinth, have you said anything other than giving up revenge and not trusting the priests?”

Serena frowned at her sibling’s leap in logic.

“I just don’t want you to become dangerous.”

“There’s no safe revenge in the world, Serena.”

Seraph frowned as if his sister, who didn’t understand this obvious truth, was frustrating and pathetic.

“Do you know what I think every time I hear your words?”

“What do you think?”

“That you’ve given up on me again this time.”

Serena faced the amethyst eyes filled with resentment and anger.

“I’m trying to stop you because I haven’t given up.”

“No. It’s giving up. You don’t trust me. You have no intention of revenge. You’re not even angry. Because!”

Seraph, unable to contain his excitement, jumped up from his seat. The prince’s crown barely grazed the low tunnel ceiling.

“If you had ever thought about revenge even once! If you really wanted it, you wouldn’t think I would definitely lose and die! You’ve been like this from the beginning! The thought that I might succeed in revenge is completely absent from your head! You’ve only filled it with thoughts that I will definitely lose! Fail! And die!”

Having poured out his words, his excitement seemed to calm slightly as the prince covered his eyes and organized his breathing and emotions.

“While you don’t trust me like that, you have no intention of revenge either. But that’s not right, Serena. Grandfather… It wasn’t just anyone, that bastard killed Grandfather! Right in front of my eyes.”

The prince’s hands took the form of respectfully holding a round, heavy object. His fingers trembled as if he still couldn’t forget that weight.

Sadness took the stage as anger descended. Since her sibling’s sadness was older than his anger, Serena slightly lowered her head, afraid to see eyes filled with tears.

Surprisingly, Seraph succeeded in organizing his emotions. Though slightly moist, his eyes were revealed without tears.

“Hup, whoo. You said most of Hujichen seems to have been consumed by the labyrinth. I think this is also that patricide’s doing. I have no evidence but I’m certain.”

Seraph had accurately identified the culprit behind this incident.

Whether it was childish thinking wanting to blame everything on someone he hated, or speculation combining information heard from the priests, she didn’t know.

Since it would ultimately encourage Seraph’s quest for revenge, it wasn’t good news for Serena.

“That evil patricidal traitor is ruining not only House Huaim but the entire Kingdom of Heuji. Yet you still oppose revenge. What exactly is your reason?”

Serena ground her teeth.

‘I’m not opposing revenge! Richard won’t die in the labyrinth! Can’t be killed!’

How wonderful it would be if she could tell her sibling this fact? Then all the misunderstandings her sibling harbored would be resolved.

But this was a secret directly connected to Serena’s safety. Even if it was her sibling, she couldn’t tell him. Rather, because she knew her sibling, she couldn’t tell him even more.

Serena refined and re-refined the words that came to mind before speaking.

“Once we get out of the labyrinth, I’ll join you in revenge. Even if it means my death, I’ll participate in killing Richard. I’ll swear it to all the gods in the heavens.”

When Serena even wagered her life – the card she had desperately held onto and never given up – Seraph’s eyes wavered.

‘Did he fall for it?’

Unfortunately, Seraph shook his head. The prince had his own reasonable justification.

“That won’t work. I can’t wait until we leave the labyrinth. Right now Richard is gaining power in the labyrinth. Just as I and others are getting stronger and more experienced, Richard is getting stronger too! If we focus on leaving the labyrinth, we won’t be able to kill Richard.”

Just as Serena had gathered information by dying and communicating with gods and interacting with companions, Seraph had also obtained information through interactions with priests.

In the chaotic situation, High Priest Hazel, who had labyrinth experience, had said this:

“The labyrinth is a place for trials, and it gives those who overcome trials what they desire. Gold and silver treasures, mysterious artifacts, and power.”

Seraph slowly clenched his fist.

“You might not see it, but I’ve become much stronger. Enough that I can feel it myself.”

The prince’s fist trembled with power.

“If I’m like this, what about Richard? How strong must he be? We can’t delay even a moment!”

Serena coldly pointed out reality.

“Right. Richard would be even stronger. Just how do you plan to face him?”

“A Sword Master? He’d still get stabbed by a sword though.”

Hearing her sibling’s confident answer, Serena warned him in advance, worried he might make a mistake.

“Fire doesn’t work on him.”

She wasn’t sure about sword immunity, but fire attribute attacks didn’t work. At Serena’s kindness, Seraph glared.

“How do you know that? Did you try burning him?”

Could it be that his sister, who had claimed ignorance about revenge and only sought her own survival, had actually doused their evil cousin with oil and set him on fire? Seraph’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.

“Viscount Nex tried it, but didn’t even singe an eyebrow.”

“When and how did Viscount Nex try it? Maybe the fire was too weak?”

For Viscount Nex’s honor, Serena explained the events of that time in detail.

Seraph felt betrayed by his sister who had hidden the fact that she’d encountered Richard, and opened his eyes venomously.

“This is why! I’m suspicious of you!”

“Seraph. I hid the fact that I witnessed Richard because you might be in danger—”

“Are you actually on Richard’s side?”

Serena was furious. It was infuriating enough that he dared interrupt her words, but the content was even more infuriating.

Barely suppressing the urge to throw a punch, Serena calmed her heart that was racing from hearing such absurd words.

“How can you say such a thing!”

“It’s true though. I clearly remember who was the first person mentioned when talk of your marriage began.”

‘Marriage?’

Why was talk of Serena’s marriage suddenly coming up here?

It was so out of nowhere that Serena became worried about her sibling’s head.

‘Did he also hit his head somewhere?’

If not that, then perhaps.

‘Did excessive stress have a bad effect on his mind?’

After the Huaim siblings were born, many people worried about the siblings’ mental health. Both genetics and upbringing were the worst, so Serena understood people’s concerns and bad expectations.

‘Even I worried whether being easily swayed by emotions compared to my previous life was due to being young or resembling my parents.’

At least Serena herself was a Reincarnated One. Seraph was a pure soul without even that.

‘What should I do? Should I calm him down and put him to sleep first? Will he be better after sleeping?’

Her heart sank even more than when she saw her sibling dying.

‘Get it together, Serena. People aren’t machines—illness won’t be cured just by sleeping.’

Whether Serena was startled by her sibling’s off-topic words or not. Seraph, who had no way of knowing that fact, shouted loudly.

“Richard! That unfilial bastard was your first fiancé candidate!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————